Polluter Privilege

Companies Pollute Ohio Tap Water, Citizens Pay for Cleanup

Jane Houlihan Richard Wiles

E N V I R O N M E N T A L G R O U P W O R K I N G

TM

614 W. Superior Ave., #1200 Cleveland, OH 44113-1306 tel 216-861-5200 fax 216-694-6904

1718 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20009 tel 202-667-6982 fax 202-232-2592 info@ewg.org www.ewg.org

Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Sandy Buchanan, Jane Forrest, and Noreen Warnock of Ohio Citizen Action for their insight and assistance in improving the report. This release of this report would not have been possible without the efforts of Mike Casey and Melissa Haynes of EWG. Additional thanks go to the conscientious staff at Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, for their help in clarifying the data in this report and providing perspective on state enforcement. Special thanks to Molly Evans, who designed and produced the report. We are grateful to Ken Cook for his editing and insight. Polluter Privilege was made possible by a grant from The George Gund Foundation and support from The Joyce Foundation. The opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders listed. Environmental Working Group is responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation in this report. Copyright September 1999 by the Environmental Working Group/The Tides Center. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Printed on recycled paper.

Environmental Working Group

The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C. The Environmental Working Group is a project of the Tides Center, a California Public Benefit Corporation based in San Francisco that provides administrative and program support services to nonprofit programs and projects. Kenneth A. Cook, President Richard Wiles, Vice President for Research Mike Casey, Vice President for Public Affairs

Ohio Citizen Action

Ohio Citizen Action campaigns on issues from public health and the environment to utility and insurance rates. A non-profit, non-partisan group with 150,000 members, it was founded in 1975. Ohio Citizen Actions address is 614 W. Superior Ave., #1200, Cleveland, OH 44113. 216-861-5200 (phone) 218-694-6904 (fax). Sandy Buchanan, Executive Director

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Polluter Privilege

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1. INDUSTRIAL POLLUTANTS IN PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES ................. 7 CHAPTER 2. INCONSISTENT ENFORCEMENT .............................................. 15 CHAPTER 3. THE COST TO PUBLIC HEALTH ............................................ 19 APPENDIX A. AT LEAST 283 COMMUNITIES HAVE FOUND INDUSTRIAL POLLUTANTS IN THEIR TAP WATER SINCE 1994 ................... 25 APPENDIX B. AT LEAST 50 INDUSTRIAL POLLUTANTS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN OHIOS COMMUNITY TAP WATER SINCE 1994 ..................... 30 REFERENCES ...................................................................................... 31

Polluter Privilege

Executive Summary

Across Ohio, small and large businesses have polluted public drinking water supplies with impunity. An Environmental Working Group analysis of Ohio EPA data and an internal, unpublished report from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) shows that industries have contaminated at least 54 public water supplies, but have been held responsible for contributing toward cleanup in only three cases. The 54 water systems are priority cases under the states hazardous waste remediation program. More than 280 Ohio communities have detected industrial contaminants in their tap water since 1994, according to monitoring data from the state (Appendix A). For most of these drinking water systems, there is no information available to the public on what, if anything, OEPA has done to identify polluters, or clean up the water. The cost of cleaning up tapwater polluted with industrial chemicals can be substantial. The City of Dayton has spent millions of dollars to treat

its tap water supply, stripping industrial contaminants from as many as five industries in 13 treatment units called air stripping towers. Middletown in Butler County has spent over $1 million to clean up tap water contaminated by a facility that manufactures printing equipment. The City of Wooster in Wayne County has spent $1.3 million to test and treat its water supply, with the polluters contributing nothing. Compared with their negligence in cleaning up community water supplies, many Ohio companies are much more willing to clean up tap water when their employees and management have to drink it. Businesses have taken action on their private water supplies in 85 percent of the cases for which we have information. In contrast, companies are monitoring or working to clean up their contamination of public water supplies, just six percent of the time. Failure to Enforce the Law Communities are subsidizing cleanups for such multi-billiondollar corporations as GeorgiaPacific, Buick-GMC, Pennzoil,

Industries have contaminated at least 54 public water supplies, and have been held responsible for contributing toward cleanup in only three cases.

This situation has been forced upon community water suppliers by Ohio EPAs failure to enforce the law.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/OHIO CITIZEN ACTION

Some childhood diseases are linked to specific contaminants found in Ohio public water supplies. For instance, trichloroethylene, or TCE, an industrial solvent believed to cause leukemia, has been found in at least 21 of the 46 contaminated community water supplies.

British Petroleum, Grimes Aerospace, Siemens Energy and Automation, Kimberly Clarke, General Electric, Unical Corporation, and Ashland Chemical. This situation has been forced upon community water suppliers by Ohio EPAs failure to enforce the law. Although Ohios water pollution and hazardous waste laws give Ohio EPA clear and ample authority to prosecute anyone who contaminates drinking water, agency leadership has consistently failed to exercise it. Instead, agency leaders appointed by former Governor Voinovich and current Governor Taft have adopted a formal policy of inviting polluters to negotiate cleanup terms with the agency. If polluters decline, which is increasingly the case, the agency almost never pursues litigation or tougher measures to get responsible businesses to clean up public drinking water supplies. This policy has effectively shifted the power to control cleanups from the agency to the polluters, while at the same time crippling the ability of Ohio EPA staff to help communities struggling to provide safe water for their residents. In a document prepared for former Ohio legislator Joy Padgett on contaminated public water supplies, the agency complains no less than five times that it lacks the authority to either investigate or enforce cleanups of public water supplies

(OEPA, 1998). The fact is, the law gives them ample authority. Ohio EPA leadership has just chosen not to use it. Utilities Strive to Deliver Clean Tap Water In every case that EWG investigated, water suppliers are taking the necessary steps to ensure their tap water meets legal standards for the protection of human health. Sometimes this involves monitoring the pollutants to ensure that their concentrations in water supply wells are not increasing. In other cases, water suppliers operate groundwater pump-and-treat systems, at a cost they are forced to pass on to their customers. Through their efforts, residents are ensured that the water they drink meets state and federal contaminant standards. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to remove all of the contamination from a polluted water supply. EWG found 26 communities that continue to drink water with low levels of industrial pollutants, despite the desire and best efforts of water suppliers to provide perfectly clean water (Table 1). It is not illegal to serve water containing industrial contaminants. A certain amount of contamination is allowed under the law, and these 26 communities all meet the legal limits. Legal, however, does not necessarily mean safe. Legal levels POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

Table 1. Despite the best efforts of water suppliers, citizens continue to drink low levels of industrial contaminants in tap water. In most cases, polluters do nothing to help clean it up.
Location Northwest Ohio Fayette, Fulton Co., pop. 1,150 Bradner, Wood Co., pop. 1,093 Northeast Ohio North Canton, Stark Co., pop. 17,000 Southwest Ohio Ripley, Brown Co., pop. 2,200 Urbana (Urbana Mad River wellfield), Champaign Co., pop. 11,353 Enon, Clark Co., pop. 2,603 Milford, Clermont Co., pop. 5,830 TCE and 1,2dichloropropane PCE, TCE former U.S. Shoe factory, former waste ponds Grimes Aerospace Russell Street facility and Siemens Energy and Automation Muncy Corporation unknown cis-1,2-DCE and DCA unknown vinyl chloride PCE Fayette Tubular Products unknown; inadequate Ohio EPA investigation Contaminants found in tap water Potential or known polluter

PCE, TCE, cis- and trans-1,2DCE PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, 1,1,1-TCA, 1,1-DCE, 1,1DCA 1,1,1-TCA TCE, 1,1,1-TCA, cis-1,2DCE, 1,1-DCA PCE

Spring Valley, Greene County, pop. 569 Bellefontaine, Logan Co., pop. 12,142 Troy, Miami Co., pop. 20,500

unknown abandoned drum dump former auto dealership (Wampler Buick-GMC Inc.)* and Kimberly Clarke paper mill* DAP*, Gayston Corporation*, Gem City Chemicals*, Valleycrest Landfill (North San Landfill Inc)*, Van DyneCrotty Inc.*, and U.S. Air Force Wright-Patterson AFB unknown not addressed in Ohio EPA report

Dayton (Miami and Ottowa wellfields), Montgomery Co., pop. 420,000

TCE and other industrial solvents

Miamisburg, Montgomery Co., pop. 17,900 Huber Heights, Montgomery Co., pop. 39,400 Southeast Ohio Bridgeport, Belmont Co., pop. 3,570 Belmont County (Sanitary Sewer District #3), pop. 25,890 West Lafayette, Coshocton Co., pop. 3,200 Laurelville, Hocking Co., pop. 858

PCE, cis-1,2-DCE cis-1,2-DCE

It is not illegal to serve water containing industrial contaminants. Legal, however, does not necessarily mean safe.

PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE cis-1,2-DCE

dry cleaner, not named in Ohio EPA report Unical Corporation, Ashland Chemical, and 3 individuals (current owners) Penn-Michigan Manufacturing Ohio EPA has identified at least one potential source, not named in Ohio EPA report unknown Tri-State Tank (formerly Ford Brothers) unknown, not investigated Pennzoil and British Petroleum, property now owned by Century Bank historic dumping on city property Joy Technologies Union Carbide and Shell unknown Laugherty Cleaners, Makris Cleaners*

vinyl chloride nitrates

Yorkville, Jefferson Co., pop. 1,248 Coal Grove, Lawrence Co., pop. 4,719 Middleport, Meigs Co., pop. 2,570 McConnelsville, Morgan Co., pop. 1,804 Waverly, Pike Co., pop. 5,000 New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas Co., pop. 16,000 Newport, Washington Co., pop. 894 Marietta, Washington Co., pop. 20,300 Beverly, Washington Co., pop. 1,550

PCE, TCE TCE, cis-1,2-DCE TCE, cis-1,2-DCE PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE

cis-1,2-DCE TCE TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, vinyl chloride 1,1,1-TCA PCE

Note: Potential polluters as described in OEPA 1998 and 1997, are designated with an asterisk (*). Source: OEPA 1998, personal communications with Ohio EPA and town water superintendents, and Ohio public water supply compliance testing database supplied to EWG by Ohio EPA.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/OHIO CITIZEN ACTION

The Ohio Legislature should create a state superfund-style trust fund to pay for cleanup of drinking water supplies.

fail to account for the potential additive health effects of multiple chemicals and the vulnerability of children. Moreover, legal levels are in many cases a compromise between public health and treatment costs. For communities with legal levels of pollution in their tap water, health effects are still a concern. Children are among the most vulnerable to the health consequences of this failed system. Of the 54 contaminated public water supplies, 46 are town water supplies (Tables 2 and 3), with schools and daycare facilities being served the same quality of water as the rest of the town. Five schools and two daycare centers using private wells have also had their tap water polluted with industrial contaminants (Table 5). Some childhood diseases are linked to specific contaminants found in Ohio public water supplies. For instance, trichloroethylene, or TCE, an industrial solvent believed to cause leukemia, has been found in at least 21 of the 46 contaminated community water supplies (Tables 2 and 3). The contaminants found in Ohios public water supplies are almost always industrial solvents known or suspected to cause cancer, birth defects, nervous system disorders and a host of other health problems. TCE was found in 21 public water supplies, followed by tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in 19, and two forms of dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE

and trans-1,2-DCE) in 17. Vinyl chloride, the most potent carcinogen of all the chemicals in these water supplies, was found in the tap water supply in at least six towns. New federal right-to-know rules would give citizens in these communities critical information for protecting the health of their families in the form of an annual tap water quality report mailed to their homes each year. U.S. EPA has offered state governors the chance to waive the mailing requirement for towns of under 10,000 people. So far Governor Taft has not signed the waiver. It is critical that he remain firm on this issue, since over half of the Ohio towns with polluted tap water supplies have fewer than 10,000 people. These reports will be vital in a state where polluting industries go largely unpunished and polluted drinking water sources remain contaminated. Recommendations The first priority must be for the polluters to provide uncontaminated drinking water to the affected communities. It is not enough for people to be provided with tap water contaminated with supposedly safe levels of industrial contaminants. In all cases where the polluter has been identified, they must pay to provide clean tap water to all towns whose water supplies they have contaminated. Payment should begin immediPOLLUTER PRIVILEGE

OHIO EPA HAS BROAD AUTHORITY TO FORCE CLEANUPS OF POLLUTED TAP WATER SUPPLIES
Ohios water pollution control law states: No person shall cause pollution or place or cause to be placed any sewage, industrial waste, or other wastes in a location where they shall cause pollution of any waters of the state, and then goes on to give the Director of Ohio EPA broad authority to investigate contaminated waters and to prosecute polluters (Chapter 6111 of Ohios Revised Code). The states hazardous waste law gives Ohio EPA the authority to investigate any location where hazardous waste is Threatening to cause or contribute to water pollution, further directing the Attorney General, upon written request of Ohio EPAs Director, to institute a civil action to recover cleanup costs from the polluting industry (Chapter 3734 of Ohios Revised Code). The politically-appointed leadership at Ohio EPA have chosen to ignore this authority. Their stance has resulted in their staff being unable to pursue cleanups of contaminated public water supplies. It is not surprising that given this lack of support, Ohio EPA district offices are often even unable to require that businesses simply investigate a contamination problem. The agency has gone as far as suggesting to the small town of Malta, population 804, that the town itself enter into negotiations with the polluter, Tomkins Industries, in lieu of the agency using its own statutory authority.

ately and be retroactive to cover all costs incurred in dealing with the problem. In many cases, however, the responsible party cannot be identified, or when identified, cannot afford the cleanup costs. To protect the public in these situations, the Ohio Legislature should create a state superfundstyle trust fund supported by a surtax on big business, similar to the federal model, which can be used to pay for cleanup of drink-

ing water supplies and for providing communities with clean water in the interim. The public has a right to know the names of the polluters in cases of contaminated tap water supplies. Where the polluter is known, water suppliers should identify the polluter by name in their annual water quality reports required under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the first of which is due to customers of public water suppliers by October 1999.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/OHIO CITIZEN ACTION

POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

Chapter 1

Industrial Pollutants in Public Water Supplies

In 46 towns across Ohio the town tap water supply is contaminated with industrial chemicals found in the groundwater (OEPA 1998). In 25 of these cases, Ohio EPA or the city itself has found the business potentially or certainly responsible for the contamination (Tables 2 and 3). In only three cases has the responsible industry contributed financially toward monitoring or cleanup of the towns water supply (Table 2). In 43 other towns, the residents or in rare cases Ohio EPA has borne the costs of investigations, monitoring, and cleanup (Table 3). And this is not even the full scope of the problem. At least 50 different industrial pollutants have been found in Ohios public drinking water over the past five years, in 283 communities (Appendices A and B). EWGs analysis focuses on the fewer than 20 percent of these communities Ohio EPA is addressing under its hazardous waste remediation program. The cost of industrial contamination to these towns varies greatly. The City of Wooster in Wayne County has spent $1.3 million to test and treat a water supply thought to be contaminated by a company called Regal Ware and a number of other industries in the area. The city raised water rates for their 25,000 customers to pay for a groundwater interception system and new air stripping towers to deal with an industrial solvent called cis-1,2-dichloroethylene in their water supply. Regal Ware and other possible polluters paid nothing. A rare case of a more responsible polluter is in the town of Fayette in Fulton County, where the water supplier found low levels of vinyl chloride in the town well in 1990. There, the industry responsible for the contamination, Fayette Tubular Products, has paid for testing and reporting to ensure that the towns water supply satisfies the state drinking water law. Small towns dominate the list of water supplies contaminated by industry. Reading (population 12,800) spent $640,000 to connect to Cincinnati water after their water supply was contaminated by the GE Evendale plant and the Pristine Inc. Superfund 7 The 25,000 tap water customers in Wooster paid $1.3 million to deal with 1,2dichloroethylene in their tap water. Regal Ware and other possible polluters paid nothing.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/OHIO CITIZEN ACTION

Table 2. Ohio industry is helping to clean up just 3 of 46 community water supplies it has contaminated.
Location Fayette, Fulton Co., pop. 1,150 Contaminants found vinyl chloride Polluters Fayette Tubular Products Details Ohio EPA is unable to negotiate a binding consent order due to lack of statutory authority (OEPA, 1998). Fayette Tubular has paid for all monitoring and reporting costs associated with the contaminated water supply. Joy Industries signed Consent Order in 1990. The industry pays all costs associated with water treatment for the town. The town pays for enhanced monitoring program. Union Carbide and Shell signed a Consent Order prior to 1996 to investigate and remediate contamination. The companies pay to monitor the town water supply.

New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas Co., pop. 16,000

TCE

Joy Technologies

Newport, Washington Co., pop. 894

TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, vinyl chloride

Union Carbide and Shell

Source: OEPA 1998, OEPA 1997, and personal communications with town water superintendents.

site. The water superintendent in Middletown, Butler County (population 55,000), estimates his small community has spent over $1 million to provide safe drinking water after their groundwater source was contaminated by a printing facility called AEP FLEXO. People want to know why their water rates are going up, he says, as he describes a community-financed cleanup that is in essence a subsidy for a Kentucky-based company no longer operating in Middletown. But big cities are not immune to these problems. The City of Dayton continually operates at least 13 air stripping towers to reduce levels of TCE, vinyl chloride, and other industrial solvents from their water before it is served to 420,000 of Daytons residents. The city and Ohio EPA have identified a number of industries as potentially responsible 8

for contaminating groundwater in Montgomery County, including DAP, Gayston Corporation, Gem City Chemicals, Valleycrest Landfill (North San Landfill Inc.), and Van Dyne-Crotty Inc. According to Ohio EPA (OEPA 1998) many of these industries are cleaning up their own properties under binding consent orders with the agency, but none of the industries is contributing toward Daytons efforts to provide safe drinking water for the city. The city has not tallied all it has spent in these ongoing efforts, but one group of seven air stripping towers cost the city $4 million in capital costs alone. About the pollutants In almost all cases, the contaminants in these town water supplies include common industrial solvents and their degradation products (Table 4). These POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

Table 3. In almost all cases where Ohio businesses have contaminated public drinking water they have done nothing to clean it up.
Location Northwest Ohio Mansfield (Lincoln wellfield), Richland Co., pop. 51,000 Bradner, Wood Co., pop. 1,093 tetrachloroethylene (PCE) trichloroethylene (TCE) and PCE defunct dry cleaning business unknown; inadequate Ohio EPA investigation no no Responsible industry is no longer in business. Village operates a groundwater pumpand-treat system; community still drinks water from contaminated well during periods of peak demand. Contaminants found Potential or known polluter Polluter paying for action taken Action taken

Northeast Ohio Millersburg, Holmes Co., pop. 3,051 Masillon, Stark Co., pop. 67,000 TCE and dichloroethylene (DCE) vinyl chloride, cis-1,2-DCE and 1,1,-dichloroethane (DCA) cis-1,2-DCE and DCA unknown unknown no no Community took 2 wells out of service; is planning for new well installation. Community rotates well use to minimize contaminant levels in wells. Community installed air stripper to remove solvents from drinking water and pumps two wells for interception. Regal Ware signed Findings and Orders with Ohio EPA to conduct full investigation, but City of Wooster has not been reimbursed for $1,300,000 spent to provide safe water.

North Canton, Stark Co., pop. 17,000 Wooster (south wellfield), Wayne Co., pop. 24,730

unknown

no

cis-1,2-DCE

Regal Ware*, community landfill*, Sandy Supply*, Wooster Iron and Metal*, Morris Petroleum*, Kick service station*

no

Southwest Ohio Brown County Rural Water Association (BCRWA), pop. 20,174 Ripley, Brown Co., pop. 2,200 carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, toluene TCE and 1,2dichloropropane TCE PCE, TCE, 1,1,1trichloroethane (1,1,1-TCA), cis-1,2-DCE unknown no Water supplier plans to operate extraction system, and currently draws water from cleaner wells only. Responsible industries are no longer in business. Ohio EPA has installed an extraction system. Village purchases water from another public water system. AEP FLEXO signed a consent order in 1993 and has begun remediation of their property, but has taken no action to clean up the community wellfield. Town has spent over $1 million for cleanup. Both polluters are performing cleanups on their own properties. Urbana is paying for monitoring costs to track movement of the contaminants. Muncy Corp signed administrative consent order in 1994 and is remediating their property but not the contaminated wellfield. Enon pays to monitor pollution in their wellfield. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. City has constructed water treatment facilities to remove contaminants. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Levels are currently below legal limits, but village indicates that it plans to shut down the well field and connect to the county water system. Morris Bean, Inc. signed Consent Decree in 1994 and is installing groundwater extraction wells for remediation. General Electric remediation is proceeding under RCRA program. Pristine, Inc. remediation is proceeding under Superfund program. Community spent $640,000 to connect to Cincinnati water. Community discontinued use of well and now draws water from surface water reservoir. Community built treatment plant which lowers levels of contaminants. Community pays for extensive monitoring program to track pollutants. In one year alone the town spent $34,000 for laboratory analysis only.

former U.S. Shoe factory, former waste ponds gravel pit used for open dumping AEP FLEXO printing facility

no

Seven Mile, Butler Co., pop. 841 Middletown, Butler Co., pop. 54,660

no no

Urbana (Urbana Mad River wellfield), Champaign Co., pop. 11,353 Enon, Clark Co., pop. 2,603

PCE, TCE

Grimes Aerospace Russell Street facility and Siemens Energy and Automation Muncy Corporation

no

PCE, TCE, cis- and trans-1,2DCE, vinyl chloride

no

New Carlisle, Clark Co., pop. 6,049 Milford, Clermont Co., pop. 5,830

1,1,1-TCA

unknown

no

PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, 1,1,1-TCA, 1,1-DCE, 1,1DCA PCE

unknown

no

Union City, Darke Co., pop. 1,984

unknown, not investigated

no

Fairborn, Greene Co., pop. 32,000

PCE, 1,1,1-TCA

unknown, not investigated

no

Spring Valley, Greene County, pop. 569

1,1,1-TCA, 1,1-DCE

unknown

no

Yellow Springs, Greene Co, pop. 3,973

1,1-DCA

Morris Bean, Inc. and Vernay Laboratories*

unknown

Reading, Hamilton Co., pop. 12800

1,1-DCE, TCE, 1,1,1-TCA

General Electric Evendale plant and Pristine, Inc superfund site

no

Hillsboro, Highland Co., pop. 6,400 Bellefontaine, Logan Co., pop. 12,142 Troy, Miami Co., pop. 20,500

PCE

unknown, not investigated

no

TCE, 1,1,1-TCA, cis-1,2DCE, 1,1-DCA, 1,1-DCE PCE, cis-1,2-DCE

abandoned drum dump former auto dealership (Wampler Buick-GMC Inc.)* and Kimberly Clarke paper mill*

no no

Note: Potential polluters as described in OEPA 1998 and 1997, are designated with an asterisk (*). (continued on page 6)

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/OHIO CITIZEN ACTION

Table 3 continued.
Location Dayton (Miami and Ottowa wellfields), Montgomery Co., pop. 420,000 Contaminants found TCE, vinyl chloride, and other industrial solvents Potential or known polluter DAP*, Gayston Corporation*, Gem City Chemicals*, Valleycrest Landfill (North San Landfill Inc)*, Van DyneCrotty Inc.*, and U.S. Air Force Wright-Patterson AFB unknown Polluter paying for action taken no Action taken "Many" responsible parties have signed orders with Ohio EPA to investigate and remediate contamination on their properties, but Dayton has spent million of dollars to date for water treatment. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Community uses air strippers to remove solvents. Town discontinued use of contaminated well.

Miamisburg, Montgomery Co., pop. 17,900 Huber Heights, Montgomery Co., pop. 39,400 Franklin, Warren Co., pop. 10,500 Southeast Ohio Athens (W. State Street wellfield), Athens Co., pop. 22,335 Bridgeport, Belmont Co., pop. 3,570

PCE, TCE, 1,1,1-TCA, cis1,2-DCE, 1,1-DCA industrial solvents TCE

no

not addressed in Ohio EPA report Atlas Felt Mill (formerly GeorgiaPacific Corporation)

unknown no costs have been incurred

industrial solvents, including PCE and toluene PCE, TCE, DCE

Athens City Garage dry cleaner, not named in Ohio EPA report

no no

Athens has borne the cost for increased sampling frequency. Small family-owned dry cleaning business is responsible party and has not contributed to cleanup. Village rotates well use to minimize contaminant levels in wells. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Community pays for enhanced monitoring program. Town paid $1.6 million for air strippers to treat water. Responsible industry is no longer in business. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Town is operating an extraction well to pull contamination away from the water supply well. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. Jenny and Robert Ford, the responsible parties, have not responded to formal actions by Ohio EPA. Coal Grove has spent on the order of $50,000 to protect their water supply. Community has abandoned two of their four water supply wells. Tomkins Industries signed a Consent Order in 1991, but has not contributed financially toward providing safe water for the village. Malta operates extraction system and has relocated wellfield. Town has spent $70,000 excluding labor to run a continuous interceptor system. Ohio EPA has invited polluters to negotiate cleanup terms. Source area is being remediated under federal Superfund program by United Technologies Automotive. Town pays an estimated $50,000 per year to operate groundwater remediation system. Ohio's safe drinking water law does not require action -- drinking water standards have not been violated. City operates a groundwater extraction system to contain contamination and an aerator to treat water. Ohio EPA has determined Laughery and Makris Cleaners do not have the resources to address the contamination

Bellaire, Belmont Co., pop. 6,025

PCE

unknown as of date of Ohio EPA report, current investigation is anticipated to find the source Unical Corporation, Ashland Chemical, and 3 individuals (current owners) Penn-Michigan Manufacturing

no

Belmont County (Sanitary Sewer District #3), pop. 25,890 West Lafayette, Coshocton Co., pop. 3,200 Gallia County Rural Water Association, pop. 21,060 Gallipolis, Gallia Co., pop. 9,000

cis-1,2-DCE

no

vinyl chloride, TCE

no

1,1,1-TCA

unknown, not investigated

no

PCE, DCE

unknown, not investigated

no

Laurelville, Hocking Co., pop. 858

nitrates

Ohio EPA has identified at least one potential source, not named in Ohio EPA report unknown

no

Yorkville, Jefferson Co., pop. 1,248

PCE

no

Coal Grove, Lawrence Co., pop. 4,719

TCE, cis-1,2-DCE

Tri-State Tank (formerly Ford Brothers)

no

Middleport, Meigs Co., pop. 2,570 Malta, Morgan Co., pop. 804

TCE VOCs

unknown, not investigated Tomkins Industries (Philips-Malta)

no unknown

McConnelsville, Morgan Co., pop. 1,804

PCE, TCE

Pennzoil and British Petroleum, property now owned by Century Bank United Tech. Auto (former Essex Plant, sole responsible party for UTA/Zanesville Wellfield Superfund site)

no

Zanesville, Muskingum Co., pop. 35,600

TCE, DCE

no

Waverly, Pike Co., pop. 5,000

VOCs

historic dumping on city property

no

Marietta, Washington Co., pop. 20,300 Beverly, Washington Co., pop. 1,550

PCE, 1,1,1-TCA

unknown

no

PCE

Laugherty Cleaners, Makris Cleaners*

no

Note: Potential polluters as described in OEPA 1998 and 1997, are designated with an asterisk (*). Source: OEPA 1998, OEPA 1997, and personal communications with town water superintendents.

10

POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

popular chemicals have a broad range of uses from metal degreasing to dry cleaning and plastics manufacturing. They find their way into groundwater supplies typically through a companys negligence in handling wastes, or through leaking pipes and tanks. The result can be a large area of contaminated groundwater that could take decades and even lifetimes to clean up. The most common solvents and their degradation products found in town water supplies include tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), trichloroethane (TCA), dichloroethylene (DCE), dichloroethane (DCA), and vinyl chloride (Table 4). Four of these six compounds are known to cause cancer. Scientists have also linked them to a host of

other health effects, including disruption of normal childhood development, and toxicity to the reproductive and nervous systems. Two other compounds found in town water supplies, nitrate and chloroform, have been linked to birth defects. Because of big money spent on cleanup and treatment, or the good fortune of having water supply wells that are at the leading edge of pollution plumes, contaminants in drinking water in most towns are at legal levels by the time the water reaches the tap. But legal levels are not always safe. Federal drinking water standards fail to account for the potential additive health effects of multiple chemicals, the vulnerability of children, and certainly the consumers desire for contaminant-free water. Legal levels are also not based solely

Federal drinking water standards fail to account for the potential additive health effects of multiple chemicals and the vulnerability of children.

Table 4. At least eleven different industrial toxic chemicals are found in public drinking water wells in Ohio.
Known or suspected effect on human health, partial list Number of water supplies contaminated 21 19 17 10 6 5 2 1 1 1 1 Affects human development (includes birth defects) X X X X X X X X Toxic to reproductive system X X Toxic to nervous system X X X X X X X X X X

Contaminant trichloroethylene (TCE) tetrachloroethylene (PCE) dichloroethylene (DCE) 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) vinyl chloride 1,1-dichloroethane (DCA) toluene carbon tetrachloride chloroform nitrate 1,2-dichloropropane

Causes cancer X X

X X X X X X

X X X

Source for contaminants in public water supplies: OEPA 1998 and personal communications with town water superintendents. Source for health effects information: EDF 1999.

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Table 5. Schools and daycare centers are not immune from industrial contaminants in their drinking water.
School Central Ohio Toboso Elementary School in Toboso Mt Vernon Academy in Mt Vernon Northeast Ohio Miss Pat's Daycare II in Chesterland ABC Daycare Center Victory School Southwest Ohio Donnelsville Elementary School Well in Donnelsville Lawrence Elementary in Marietta Clark Washington PCE, 1,1,1-TCA 1,2-DCA and isopropyltoluene no action taken no action taken Geauga Geauga Trumbull chlorinated organics and gasoline components carbon tetrachloride dichlorobenzene, possibly dichloromethane Victory School onsite filtration system no action taken Licking Knox trichloroethylene (TCE) tetrachloroethylene (PCE) new well drilled no action taken County Contaminants Action taken*

Source: OEPA 1998. *Action taken is as of November 1998, according to OEPA 1998.

on protecting human health: regulators must consider the cost and feasibility of removing the contaminant as well. The final legal limit is, in many cases, a compromise between public health and the cost of treating the pollution. Industrial pollutants in school water supplies In the 46 communities with contaminated water supplies, schools and daycare facilities typically receive the same quality of water as the rest of the town. Ohio EPA has also identified at least seven more schools that rely or at one time relied on private well water contaminated with industrial pollutants (Table 5). For almost all of these schools, the responsible industry is either unknown, or the contamination has not been investigated. 12

According to Ohio EPA (1998), the schools responses to the contamination has varied. Toboso Elementary in Licking County drilled a new, deeper well, which provides clean water to the school. The ABC Daycare Center in Geauga County filters the water to remove the carbon tetrachloride. Three of the schools find legal levels of contaminants in their water, and so have not been required by Ohio EPA to treat the water or find an alternate source for the children (Mt. Vernon Academy in Knox County, Donnelsville Elementary School in Clark County, and Lawrence Elementary in Washington County). For the two remaining schools in Table 4, Victory School in Trumbull County and Miss Pats Daycare II in Geauga County, Ohio EPA had POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

not verified or followed the situation as of November 1998. Schools are not required to notify parents of contamination in the school water until levels exceed the legal limits. But legal does not necessarily mean safe, especially for small children, whose special vulnerability to contaminants has not normally been considered in the standardsetting process. It is likely that most parents whose children attend these schools and daycares are not aware of the pollution in the water supply.

Industrial pollutants in drinking water at Ohio businesses Ohio EPA data show that drinking water sources for private wells at over 24 industrial facilities and other companies in Ohio have been contaminated, primarily with organic solvents and petroleum compounds (Table 6). This water either is or was in the past provided to employees as drinking water. Most of these facilities now provide their employees with an alternate, clean source of drinking wa-

It is likely that most parents whose children attend schools and daycares with contaminated drinking water are not aware of the pollution.

Table 6. Businesses clean up their own water supplies at 14 times the rate they clean up community water supplies.
Contaminated Water Supply Northeast Ohio Public water supplies at numerous industrial facilities in Bainbridge Township and McFarlands Corners, including wells at industrial facilities. Public water supplies at numerous industries in Chesterland. BP Oil Bainbridge Twp Chesterland Geauga chlorinated organics and gasoline components unknown City County Contaminants Does the company treat the water or provide an alternate source?

Geauga

chlorinated organics and gasoline components various organic compounds, including benzene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene, toluene, 1,2,4trimethylbenzene, xylene chlorinated solvents benzene UST-related contamination cis-1,2-DCE, 1,1-DCA TCE, carbon tetrachloride volatile organic compounds (VOCs) chlorinated solvents VOCs PCE carbon tetrachloride chlorinated solvents TCE

unknown

Parkman

Geauga

unknown

Ullman Oil Crandell Ford Lake County Convenience Store Monarch Industrial Tire Republic Engineered Steel Lucern Products Speedway Gas Station #3692 Akron Public Lining Bramble Equipment Services Wills Trucking Astro Metallurgical (formerly Astro Harsco Corp) Montana Products Southwest Ohio Scarff's Nursery, Inc. Captor Corporation Wellfield Wiley Industrial Park Wellfield US DOE Mound Plant Southeast Ohio Dayton Power and Light Stuart Station South Point Wellfield Consolidated Aluminum Gould, Inc. Ohio Power Muskingum River Plant

Akron

Geauga Geauga Lake Portage Stark Summit Summit Summit Summit Summit Wayne Wayne

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

New Carlisle Tipp City Tipp City Miamisburg

Clark Miami Miami Montgomery

vinyl chloride TCE, cis-1,2-DCE PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE PCE, TCE, cis 1,2-DCE, vinyl chloride

no yes yes yes

Aberdeen South Point Hannibal McConnelsville Beverly

Adams Lawrence Monroe Morgan Washington

1,1,1-TCA and 1,1-DCA nitrates 1,1,1-TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, 1,1-DCE PCE, TCE, DCE 1,1,1-TCA

yes unknown no yes no

Source: OEPA 1998 and OEPA 1997. Information for treatment of water or provision of alternate source is as of November 1998, according to OEPA 1998.

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ter. In some cases, they have drilled new wells, in other cases they have added treatment steps to remove the contaminants from the water. In a few cases clean water is hauled in from other sources. Compared with their negligence in cleaning up community water supplies, Ohio companies are much more willing to clean up tap water they have polluted when their employees and management have to drink it. Business have taken action on their private water supplies in 85 percent of the cases for which we have information. In contrast, businesses have contributed toward cleanup of only about 6 percent of the community water

supplies they have contaminated, leaving the community to bear the cleanup costs. A few companies, however, have failed to clean up even their own water, and workers may be receiving water that contains contaminants at levels above the drinking water standards, including Annies Restaurant in Chesterland (Geauga County), and Scarffs Nursery in Clark County (OEPA 1998). In other cases, contaminant levels are legal, so Ohio EPA has not required a clean water supply to be provided (Ohio Power Muskingum River Plant in Washington County and Consolidated Aluminum in Monroe County).

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Chapter 2

Inconsistent Enforcement
The Environmental Working Groups analysis of Ohio EPA data (OEPA 1998 and OEPA 1997) shows that the system for cleaning up industrial contamination is failing on many levels. In describing their difficulties in regulating contaminated sites, Ohio EPA argues that state cleanup laws are ambiguous, and that their authority is questionable for regulating contaminants that do not fit the narrow definition of hazardous waste, or in cases where there are multiple polluters. A close look at the law shows that the agency has broad authority to force industries to clean up contaminated public water supplies. The problem is that political appointees throughout the Voinovich and Taft administrations have failed to use this power to protect citizens of the state. Instead, through their inaction they have effectively shifted power from the agency to the polluters and crippled the ability of their staff to help what are primarily small towns struggling to provide safe water for their residents. Ohio EPA leadership has adopted a procedure of courting industrial polluters, issuing formal invitations for polluters to engage in negotiations with the agency. If polluters decline, Ohio EPA has traditionally backed away from litigation, complaining in broad terms about their lack of statutory authority to force polluters to the table. Notably, in many cases where polluters have been identified, they have entered into binding agreements with the agency to clean up their own property. In nearly every case, however, polluters do not extend their cleanup to the contaminated groundwater outside the property boundaries, and they do not reimburse the water suppliers for treating and monitoring the drinking water supply. In a document prepared for the Ohio legislature on contaminated public water supplies, the agency complains no less than five times lacks the authority to either investigate or enforce cleanups of public water supplies (OEPA, 1998). The fact is, the law gives them ample authority. Ohio EPA leadership has just chosen not to exercise it. Ohios water pollution control law states No person shall cause pollution or place or cause to be 15 Ohio EPA has broad authority to investigate and enforce cleanups of contaminated public water supplies; they have simply failed to use it.

Not only does Ohio EPA almost never pursue industry cleanup, they often fail to require simple investigations of the problem.

ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP/OHIO CITIZEN ACTION

Typically polluters are responsible for cleanup of their own property only, and are not required to contribute toward cleanup of the towns wellfield.

placed any sewage, industrial waste, or other wastes in a location where they shall cause pollution of any waters of the state, and then goes on to give the Director of Ohio EPA broad authority to investigate contaminated waters and to prosecute polluters (Chapter 6111 of Ohios Revised Code). The states hazardous waste law gives Ohio EPA the authority to investigate any location where hazardous waste is Threatening to cause or contribute to water pollution, further directing the Attorney General, upon written request of Ohio EPAs Director, to institute a civil action to recover cleanup costs from the polluting industry (Chapter 3734 of Ohios Revised Code). The politically-appointed leadership at Ohio EPA have chosen to ignore this authority. As a result, their staff has been unable to pursue cleanups of contaminated public water supplies. It is not surprising that given this lack of support, Ohio EPA district offices are often even unable to require that businesses simply investigate a contamination problem. The agency has gone as far as suggesting to the small town of Malta, population 804, that the town itself enter into negotiations with the polluter, Tomkins Industries, in lieu of the agency using its own statutory authority. In a case in Laurelville (Hocking County), the agency claims to lack the authority to conduct a complete source investigation for nitrate contamination (OEPA

1998), despite the fact that the states water pollution control law requires the Director to investigate, if a resident of Laurelville files a written complaint. Numerous small public water supplies in Bainbridge Township and McFarlands Corners, Geauga County, are contaminated with chlorinated organics and petroleum compounds. In these cases, Ohio EPA failed to proceed with an enforcement referral against the polluters, because of a lack of legal and technical resources (OEPA 1998). In Chesterland, also in Geauga County, Ohio EPA issued an Interim Action order in 1993 to five polluters responsible for organics and petroleum compounds in public water supplies. Five years later, Ohio EPA has not yet forced the polluters to comply with the order. The contamination in Union City, Darke County, illustrate the extreme of Ohio EPAs inability to enforce state laws. The city found tetrachlorethene (PCE) in their water supply well in 1986. They continue to test the water to ensure that drinking water standards are met in their treated water. Meanwhile, in the 13 years since the contamination was discovered, Ohio EPA has not investigated to find the magnitude or extent of contamination in the groundwater. Ohio EPA POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

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writes, Ohio EPA believes that further action is needed to ensure a long term safe water supply at the Union City Wellfield. Ohio EPA... lacks the clearly established authority to remedy the contamination. (OEPA 1998) Even when Ohio EPA does respond to a communitys contamination problem, the response is often too little and perhaps too late. According to data presented in OEPA (1998), Ohio EPA investigations to define pollution sources begin an average of over four years after the contamination in the water supply is detected. The agency has begun investigations as late as 10 years after the problem is found.

In other cases, however, Ohio EPA has exercised its authority to force industry to clean up at least some of the problems that it caused. But even in these cases, industry responsibility is limited to cleanup of its own property, the polluter is not required to contribute toward cleanup of the towns wellfield. Ohio EPA has signed consent orders requiring investigation or cleanup with a number of polluters who have contaminated public water supplies: Regal Ware in Wooster (Wayne County), AEP FLEXO in Middletown (Butler County), Muncy Corporation in Enon (Clark County), Morris Bean, Inc. in Yellow Springs (Greene County), Tomkins Industries in Malta (Morgan County), Joy In-

COAL GROVE PAYS FOR INDUSTRIAL CLEANUP OF THEIR WATER SUPPLY

Kenny Jones runs the water treatment plant in Coal Grove, where he delivers safe tap water to the villages 4000 residents. While hes busy with maintenance and collecting samples for routine testing, hes also tweaking the villages own hazardous waste cleanup project, as he makes sure Coal Groves extraction well number 2 is drawing a TCE plume away from the villages water supply wells. With no formal training in hazardous waste remediation, Mr. Jones has figured out that by cycling the extraction well to run about four months out of the year, he can keep TCE in the village wells down at levels below Ohios drinking water standard. This seat-of-the-pants operation gives village residents tap water with less than one part per billion (ppb) of the potentially carcinogenic TCE, well below the drinking water standard of five ppb. Meanwhile, extraction well number 2 pumps away at about 160,000 gallons each day, discharging water with about 20 ppb of TCE into the Ohio River, TCE which would otherwise have ended up at kitchen faucets across Coal Grove. In Coal Grove the problems began in the 1980s when the Ford brothers began operating their truck degreasing operation up the hill from the village well field. Through their sloppy waste handling practices, the degreaser TCE found its way into the groundwater beneath the site. The TCE plume migrated toward the Ohio River. Coal Groves water supply wells, situated between the Ford brothers operation and the Ohio River, were directly in its path. The Fords have skipped town, according to Mr. Jones, and Ohio EPA has begun investigating their old truck site to find the extent of TCE contamination. Meanwhile, the Village of Coal Grove has spent upwards of $50,000 in the past 10 years, cleaning up somebody elses mistakes, to make sure their kids have water that is safe to drink.

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There is no evidence that the state aims its limited resources at the most important problems.

dustries in New Philadelphia (Tuscarawas County), and Union Carbide and Shell in Newport (Washington County). In other situations, Ohio EPA claims to lack the resources even to begin an investigation of the source of contamination (OEPA, 1998), as is the case for the wellfields in Union City (Darke County), Fairborn (Greene County), and Hillsboro (Highland County), all of which are contaminated with industrial solvents. For well over half of the public water supplies contaminated by industrial pollution, Ohio EPA has not been able to conduct a source investigation of any type. Worse, there is no evidence that the state aims its limited resources at the most important problems. Their decision to conduct a source investigation bears little relationship to the level of contamination in the public water supply. Ohio EPA has conducted source investigations at slightly over half of the more seriously contaminated sites, where concentrations of contaminants at the

water supply wells exceed drinking water standards. But they have also conducted investigations at nearly as high a fraction of the less contaminated sites (40 percent), leaving a large number of more seriously contaminated sites completely uninvestigated. McConnellsville in Morgan County is just one town paying the price for agency and industry inaction. If this towns single water supply well becomes inoperable, the town will have water for only five or six days before their storage tanks are depleted. According to the water superintendent, Ohio EPA is not allowing them to drill new wells because of contamination in the aquifer. They found out only last March that the low capacity of their emergency water supply line from the town of Malta would fall far short of the towns needs in an emergency. They have totally destroyed our wellfield, says the water superintendent of the gas stations responsible for the pollution, adding, If our well goes down, were in a critical situation.

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Chapter 3

The Cost to Public Health

In every case that EWG investigated, water suppliers are taking the necessary steps to ensure their tap water meets legal standards for the protection of human health. Sometimes this involves monitoring the pollutants to ensure that their concentrations in water supply wells are not increasing. In other cases, water suppliers operate groundwater pump-and-treat systems, at a cost they are forced to pass on to their customers. Through their efforts, their customers are ensured that the water they drink meets legal standards. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to remove all of the contamination from a polluted water supply. For the 26 communities shown in Table 7, data from Ohio EPA shows that contaminants are consistently found in what is called the finished water, the water that leaves the treatment plant and enters the distribution pipes. EWG also found 257 other communities that have found industrial pollutants in their tap water over the past five years (Appendix A), which are not currently being addressed in any way under Ohio EPAs hazardous waste remediation program.

It is not illegal under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act to serve water containing industrial contaminants. A certain amount of contamination is allowed under the law, and these 26 communities all satisfy the law. It is a different question altogether, though, whether the residents would prefer to drink water free of industrial contaminants, or whether drinking these contaminants can be considered safe. For a number of chemicals, the allowable level of the contaminant in drinking water is higher than the federal government would prefer. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets limits called Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, or MCLGs, that represent their ultimate health-based goals for levels of contaminants they would prefer to see in drinking water. Then they set an alternate group of standards called Maximum Contaminant Levels, or MCLs, which are the actual amounts of contamination legally allowed in drinking water. In many cases the allowable limit, or the MCL, is higher than EPAs goal, the MCLG. This is because the MCL takes into account the cost and feasibility of

In many communities residents continue to drink tap water that contains industrial contaminants.

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Table 7. Despite the best efforts of water suppliers, citizens continue to drink low levels of industrial contaminants in tap water. In most cases, polluters do nothing to help clean it up.
Location Northwest Ohio Fayette, Fulton Co., pop. 1,150 Bradner, Wood Co., pop. 1,093 Northeast Ohio North Canton, Stark Co., pop. 17,000 Southwest Ohio Ripley, Brown Co., pop. 2,200 Urbana (Urbana Mad River wellfield), Champaign Co., pop. 11,353 Enon, Clark Co., pop. 2,603 Milford, Clermont Co., pop. 5,830 TCE and 1,2dichloropropane PCE, TCE former U.S. Shoe factory, former waste ponds Grimes Aerospace Russell Street facility and Siemens Energy and Automation Muncy Corporation unknown cis-1,2-DCE and DCA unknown vinyl chloride PCE Fayette Tubular Products unknown; inadequate Ohio EPA investigation Contaminants found in tap water Potential or known polluter

PCE, TCE, cis- and trans-1,2DCE PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, 1,1,1-TCA, 1,1-DCE, 1,1DCA 1,1,1-TCA TCE, 1,1,1-TCA, cis-1,2DCE, 1,1-DCA PCE

Spring Valley, Greene County, pop. 569 Bellefontaine, Logan Co., pop. 12,142 Troy, Miami Co., pop. 20,500

unknown abandoned drum dump former auto dealership (Wampler Buick-GMC Inc.)* and Kimberly Clarke paper mill* DAP*, Gayston Corporation*, Gem City Chemicals*, Valleycrest Landfill (North San Landfill Inc)*, Van DyneCrotty Inc.*, and U.S. Air Force Wright-Patterson AFB unknown not addressed in Ohio EPA report

Dayton (Miami and Ottowa wellfields), Montgomery Co., pop. 420,000

TCE and other industrial solvents

Miamisburg, Montgomery Co., pop. 17,900 Huber Heights, Montgomery Co., pop. 39,400 Southeast Ohio Bridgeport, Belmont Co., pop. 3,570 Belmont County (Sanitary Sewer District #3), pop. 25,890 West Lafayette, Coshocton Co., pop. 3,200 Laurelville, Hocking Co., pop. 858

PCE, cis-1,2-DCE cis-1,2-DCE

PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE cis-1,2-DCE

dry cleaner, not named in Ohio EPA report Unical Corporation, Ashland Chemical, and 3 individuals (current owners) Penn-Michigan Manufacturing Ohio EPA has identified at least one potential source, not named in Ohio EPA report unknown Tri-State Tank (formerly Ford Brothers) unknown, not investigated Pennzoil and British Petroleum, property now owned by Century Bank historic dumping on city property Joy Technologies Union Carbide and Shell unknown Laugherty Cleaners, Makris Cleaners*

vinyl chloride nitrates

Yorkville, Jefferson Co., pop. 1,248 Coal Grove, Lawrence Co., pop. 4,719 Middleport, Meigs Co., pop. 2,570 McConnelsville, Morgan Co., pop. 1,804 Waverly, Pike Co., pop. 5,000 New Philadelphia, Tuscarawas Co., pop. 16,000 Newport, Washington Co., pop. 894 Marietta, Washington Co., pop. 20,300 Beverly, Washington Co., pop. 1,550

PCE, TCE TCE, cis-1,2-DCE TCE, cis-1,2-DCE PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE

cis-1,2-DCE TCE TCE, cis-1,2-DCE, vinyl chloride 1,1,1-TCA PCE

Note: Potential polluters as described in OEPA 1998 and 1997, are designated with an asterisk (*). Source: OEPA 1998, personal communications with Ohio EPA and town water superintendents, and Ohio public water supply compliance testing database supplied to EWG by Ohio EPA..

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removing the contaminant from the water. When treatment for a particular contaminant is expensive or not completely effective, the MCL can be higher than the MCLG. For instance, while EPA would prefer to have no PCE or TCE present in drinking water supplies (both chemicals have MCLGs of zero), the drinking water standards for both are set at five parts per billion (ppb). So it is legal for water companies to serve water that contains some amount of known or potential cancer-causing compounds like PCE and TCE. At the low levels allowed in drinking water, the risk of contracting cancer becomes very low. But for most of these chemicals, there is no known absolute safe level that will not cause cancer. Certainly for children, who are more susceptible to the effects of some chemicals than adults, these low levels become more of a concern. Some child-

hood diseases are linked to specific contaminants found in Ohio public water supplies. For instance, TCE, an industrial solvent believed to cause leukemia, has been found in at least 21 of the 46 contaminated community water supplies (Tables 1 and 2). The Publics Right to Know Beginning in 1999, federal regulations require public water suppliers to mail an annual summary of drinking water quality to each of their customers. The summary will list the contaminants found in the water supply throughout the year, the levels at which they were found, and potential health effects. These reports will be vital in a state where polluting industries go largely unpunished and polluted drinking water sources remain contaminated. And for the 26 towns in Ohio that find contaminants in their finished water, these right-to-know reports will be critical for residents interested in protecting their health and the health of their children.

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22

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Chapter 4

Recommendations

The problem of water contamination in Ohio is multifaceted, and the solution must be as well. Public water supplies in at least 43 Ohio counties have been contaminated with industrial pollutants. The leadership of Ohio EPA has failed to use its clear legal authority to force polluters to clean up public water supplies they have contaminated. Instead, the agency is relying largely on the good will of industries to clean up their pollution. Industries, seeing Ohio EPA take an increasingly weaker stance in enforcing the law, are in some cases refusing to cooperate or outright defying legally binding consent orders. And, in almost all cases, they do not help communities clean up their drinking water. The first priority should be to provide uncontaminated drinking water to the affected communities. It is not enough for people to be provided with tap water contaminated with supposedly safe levels of industrial contaminants. The polluters must pay to provide uncontaminated tap water to all the residents currently being provided polluted tap water. In all cases where the polluter has been

identified, payment should begin immediately. For cases where polluters are insolvent or cant be identified, a state Superfund law could be used to pay for cleanup. The fund could be provided through a surtax on big business, similar to the federal model. Ohio EPA has been talking about a law that would create such a fund for years now. The 43 towns in Table 3 are casualties of agency and legislature inaction on this issue. The legislature is not taking the lead on creating a state superfund. In a 1998 Ohio EPA report on contaminated public water supplies prepared for an Ohio legislator (OEPA, 1998), the agency made the case that it needs authority, money, and staff to protect Ohio citizens from industrial pollutants. Describing the contaminated water supply in Middleport, Meigs County, the agency said Ohio EPA believes that the TCE contamination could easily exceed the MCL at any time, adding that if they were delegated funding and authority, they could solve the problem. These claims have not been enough to move the legislature to action.

For cases where polluters are insolvent or cant be identified, a state Superfund law could be used to pay for cleanup.

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The public has a right to know the names of the polluters in cases of contaminated tap water supplies. Where the polluter is known, water suppliers should identify the polluter by name in

their annual water quality reports required under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the first of which is due to customers of public water suppliers by October 1999.

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Appendix A
At least 283 communities have found industrial pollutants in their tap water since 1994.
Number of VOC Detections Since 1994 33 11 11 12 125 34 12 8 6 21 6 6 24 7 18 5 61 5 13 5 4 16 4 4 4 14 6 12 7 25 4 20 13 5 4 4 4 4 7 10 4 9 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 20 4 3 39 4 3 10 16 6 Number of Chemicals Detected 17 11 8 8 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

City WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB COLUMBUS HOLGATE CHESTERLAND DAYTON MCCONNELSVILLE SOUTH VIENNA WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB ADA SPRINGFIELD SOUTH VIENNA BAINBRIDGE MILFORD BOLIVAR AKRON VIENNA BRIDGEPORT SARAHSVILLE PORT CLINTON RICHWOOD CLEVELAND BELLEFONTAINE BLUFFTON SIDNEY KENT COAL GROVE SALEM DAYTON WARSAW ENON NEWARK MARIETTA MANSFIELD PROCTORVILLE SALEM MASON GOSHEN DOYLESTOWN KIRTLAND SHELBY DELPHOS ENON FRANKLIN MILLERSBURG JAMESTOWN LUDLOW FALLS RUTLAND NEWARK MCCLURE NEW PHILADELPHIA NEW WATERFORD NEWCOMERSTOWN NEWPORT LOUDONVILLE PAULDING AKRON RIPLEY URBANA

Water Supplier WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB,'A/ PLEASANT ACRES MHP HOLGATE, VILLAGE OF MANCHESTER FARMS WATER DAYTON, CITY OF-MIAMI PL MCCONNELSVILLE, VILLAGE SUNSHINE MOBILE HOME PAR WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB,'B' ADA, VILLAGE OF CLEARVIEW MOBILE HOME PK COUNTRY HAVEN MOBILE HOM HIGHLAND COUNTY WATER CO MILFORD, CITY OF TCMSD-RIDGEWOOD WILLOW REST TRAILER PARK BIRCHWOOD MANOR-OLD.PARK BRIDGEPORT, VILLAGE OF CLEAR WATER CORPORATION OHIO ADJGN CAMP PERRY RICHWOOD, VILLAGE OF AUBURN WATER SERVICE CO BELLEFONTAINE, CITY OF BLUFFTON, VILLAGE OF CHRISTOPHERS N'BROOK MHP CITIZENS UTILITIES-AUROR COAL GROVE, VILLAGE OF COLONIAL VILLA ESTATES DAYTON, CITY OF-OTTAWA P ECHOING HILLS VILLAGE, I ENON,VILLAGE OF LICKING CO,JARDIN MANOR MARIETTA, CITY OF OAK GROVE MANOR PROCTORVILLE, VILLAGE OF SALEM, CITY OF SHADOW LAKE VILLAGE MHP WESTERN WATER COMPANY WESTVIEW MHP & SALES WHISPERING WILLOW MHP ABRAXAS FOUNDATION OF OH DELPHOS, CITY OF DWIGHT ROAD MOBILE HOME FRANKLIN, CITY OF HILLTOP BOARDING HOME JAMESTOWN, VILLAGE OF LE-O-NA FALLS MHP LEADING CREEK CONS. DIST LICKING CO,HARBOR HILLS MCCLURE, VILLAGE OF NEW PHILADELPHIA,CITY OF NEW WATERFORD, VLG. OF NEWCOMERSTOWN, VLG. OF NEWPORT WTR. & SWR. DIST ODYS-MOHICAN YOUTH CTR PAULDING, VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD PLACE RIPLEY, VILLAGE OF URBANA, CITY OF

Population 15160 270 1300 94 184000 1804 146 12045 5600 127 247 27104 5830 390 196 870 3570 2025 2500 2186 290 12142 3367 180 950 4719 395 236000 86 2603 430 20300 171 700 19000 857 31150 400 300 108 7093 38 10500 48 1850 31 4767 728 850 16000 1360 4000 894 325 3338 155 2200 11353

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City WEST MILTON YORKVILLE ABERDEEN TIPP CITY WOOSTER BAINBRIDGE NORTH LIMA ST. CLAIRSVILLE BRADNER CECIL CORTLAND DAYTON CALDWELL CAMPBELL WILBERFORCE CLINTON HAMILTON BEDFORD HEIGHTS FAIRFIELD DELTA WINDSOR BEAVERCREEK BEAVERCREEK LISBON BELOIT LOCKLAND YOUNGSTOWN FOWLER MIAMISBURG MIDDLE POINT MIDDLEPORT NEW PHILADELPHIA NEW LONDON NORTH BENTON NORTH CANTON OTTAWA PAYNE DELTA JASPER PLYMOUTH LONDON WOOSTER LOWELLVILLE STRYKER SUGARCREEK AKRON SYLVANIA HIRAM TROY WASHINGTONVILLE WAVERLY AKRON WOODVILLE XENIA CURTICE

Water Supplier WEST MILTON, VILLAGE OF YORKVILLE, VILLAGE OF ABERDEEN, VILLAGE OF AL BALLINGER MOBILE HOME AUSTIN-TERRACE II BAINBRIDGE, VILLAGE OF BEECHWOOD MOBILE ESTATES BELMONT CO. SAN. DIST. 3 BRADNER, VILLAGE OF BRENTWOOD COURT MHP BRIARFIELD OF CORTLAND N CAINS MOBILE HOME COURT CALDWELL, VILLAGE OF CAMPBELL, CITY OF CARROLL WATER & SEWER CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY COMET MOBILE HOME PARK EDGEWOOD MOBILE HOME PAR EVERGREEN VILLAGE FAIRFIELD, CITY OF FORREST MHP GRAND VALLEY COUNTRY MAN GREENE CO.-SOUTHWEST REG GREENE COUNTY-CEDARVILLE GUILFORD LAKE ESTATES ISLAND CREEK HOMEOWNERS LOCKLAND, VILLAGE OF MAHONING CO.-CRAIG BEACH MEADOWBROOK MANOR NURSIN MIAMISBURG,CITY OF MIDDLE POINT, VILLAGE OF MIDDLEPORT, VILLAGE OF MWCD - SITES LAKE NEW LONDON, VLG OF-PLT 1 NEW LONDON, VLG OF-PLT 2 NORTH BENTON SHORES,ASSN NORTH CANTON, CITY OF OTTAWA, VILLAGE OF PAYNE, VILLAGE OF PEACEFUL ACRES MHP PIKE WATER, INC.-PLANT PINE GROVE MOBILE ESTATE PINEBROOK ESTATES SPRING VALLEY MHP SPRUCE TREE VILLAGE MHP STATE LINE MHP #1 STRYKER, VILLAGE OF SUGARCREEK, VILLAGE OF SUMMIT CO-COUNTRY CLUB Y SWANTON MEADOWS TROY OAKS HOMES TROY, CITY OF WASHINGTONVILLE, VLG. OF WAVERLY, CITY OF WESTERN RESERVE VILLAGE WOODVILLE, VILLAGE OF XENIA, CITY OF ALLEN PARK MOBILE COURT

Population 4628 1248 2000 75 70 1050 90 25890 1093 95 50 70 7500 9650 0 4100 30 60 100 41200 82 215 288 3210 210 52 4356 1975 54 17900 639 2570 360 3050 0 40 17000 4199 1350 180 8303 60 0 126 200 30 1500 2200 3265 275 250 20500 890 5000 150 2060 25770 80

Number of VOC Detections Since 1994 3 7 2 4 2 3 4 5 13 2 5 17 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 2 7 3 2 2 2 11 2 2 2 5 2 13 2 2 2 2 10 2 3 10 2 5 2 2 2 3 8 2 2 4 3 5 3 13 4 2 2 1

Number of Chemicals Detected 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1

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City ANTWERP SYLVANIA ATHENS WOOSTER WOOSTER GARRETTSVILLE BELLAIRE BERLIN BETHEL BEVERLY BLANCHESTER HUNTSBURG NEWARK FREMONT SMITHVILLE KINSMAN LEETONIA BREWSTER RIPLEY THORNVILLE BUCYRUS EAST LIVERPOOL CINCINNATI CAREY CHILLICOTHE CORTLAND CELINA ZANESVILLE BATAVIA COLDWATER MT. VERNON MOUNT VERNON COLUMBUS GROVE OAK HARBOR MIDDLE POINT BELLVILLE MEDWAY COVINGTON CUMBERLAND GALLOWAY CIRCLEVILLE DILLONVALE CANTON DOVER DRESDEN SPRINGFIELD EDON MANSFIELD FAIRBORN MINSTER STOW FARMERSVILLE WELLSVILLE FAYETTE FLUSHING FORT RECOVERY FOWLER ORIENT

Water Supplier ANTWERP, VILLAGE OF ARROWHEAD MHP ATHENS, CITY OF AUSTIN - COUNTRY MANOR AUSTIN-TERRACE I BAINBROOK WATER COMPANY BELLAIRE, CITY OF BERLIN WATER COMPANY BETHEL, VILLAGE OF BEVERLY, VILLAGE OF BLANCHESTER, VILLAGE OF BLOSSOM HILL CARE CENTER BLUE HERON MANOR BOWER, RICHARD MHP BOY'S VILLAGE, INC. BOYD'S KINSMAN HOME BREEZEWAY MOBILE MANOR BREWSTER, VILLAGE OF BROWN COUNTY RURAL WATER BUCKEYE BEACH MARINA MHP BUCYRUS, CITY OF CALCUTTA ACRES ASSOC. CANDLE LIGHT MHP CAREY, VILLAGE OF CAROUSEL COURT MHP CASS LAKE MOBILE HOME PA CELINA, CITY OF CHATEAU ESTATES MOBILE H CLERMONT CO WATER, BMWTP COLDWATER, VILLAGE OF COLONIAL HILLS MHP COLONIAL TERRACE MHP COLUMBUS GROVE, VLG. OF COME SAIL AWAY CONDOS CONRAD MOBILE HOMES COUNTRY MEADOW CARE CENT COUNTRYSIDE APARTMENTS COVINGTON, VILLAGE OF CUMBERLAND, VILLAGE OF DARBY CREST CIVIC ASSOC DARBYVILLE, VILLAGE OF DILLONVALE, VILLAGE OF DLH PROPERTIES DOVER, CITY OF DRESDEN, VILLAGE OF EDGEWOOD MOBILE HOME PK. EDON, VILLAGE OF EXPRESSVIEW COMM WTR ASS FAIRBORN, CITY OF FAIRHAVEN-SHELBY CO HOME FAIRLANE WATER CO. FARMERSVILLE,VILLAGE OF FARR HILL TRAILER PARK FAYETTE, VILLAGE OF FLUSHING, VILLAGE OF FORT RECOVERY, VILLAGE O FOWLER MOBILE HOME COURT FOXLAIR FARMS MHP INC.

Population 2000 320 22335 50 70 720 6025 1780 3000 1550 4450 131 50 45 100 65 60 2300 20174 140 13500 143 56 3700 300 75 10889 240 63191 4335 146 90 2231 400 213 86 90 2603 470 136 225 900 35 11536 2000 94 880 300 32000 291 400 932 117 1150 1926 1386 40 490

Number of VOC Detections Since 1994 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 4 3 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 9 1 4 1 1

Number of Chemicals Detected 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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City FRAZEYSBURG GALLIPOLIS ASHLAND ADA ELMORE CHAGRIN FALLS AKRON HILLSBORO WOOSTER LAKEVIEW HOLLOWAY HEBRON MILLERSBURG HOPEDALE WARREN HUBER HEIGHTS WASHINGTON CH PIQUA MARION LIMA IRONTON ALLIANCE JOHNSTOWN JUNCTION CITY LARUE CHAGRIN FALLS LAKE MILTON LOVELAND KENT CHAGRIN FALLS CHESTERLAND ZANESVILLE LOWELL NEWTON FALLS UNIONTOWN BELLVILLE ASHVILLE MARBLEHEAD ZANESVILLE CHESTERLAND MIDDLEFIELD COLUMBUS ORRVILLE CARROLLTON NORTH CANTON NAPOLEON NASHVILLE NELSONVILLE NEW CARLISLE MARYSVILLE NEW HOLLAND NEW VIENNA NEY NORTH BALTIMORE NORTH LEWISBURG BRYAN OAKWOOD LANCASTER

Water Supplier FRAZEYSBURG, VILLAGE OF GALLIPOLIS, CITY OF GREEN ACRES MHP GREEN MEADOW MOBILE HOME GREEN VALLEY MHP GREENTREE WATER COMPANY HIGHPOINT VILLA APTS. HILLSBORO, CITY OF HILLTOP VILLA HOLIDAY SHORES MHP HOLLOWAY, VILLAGE OF HOLLY PARK MOBILE ESTATE HOLMES COUNTY JAIL HOPEDALE, VILLAGE OF HORVATHS MOBILE HOME PAR HUBER HEIGHTS-PLANT #1 I-71 & SR-35 WATER SYSTE INDIAN HILL MOBILE HOME INDIAN TRAILS VILLAGE INDIAN VILLAGE MHP IRONTON, CITY OF IVYSTONE WATER SYSTEM JOHNSTOWN, VILLAGE OF JUNCTION CITY, VLG. OF LA RUE, VILLAGE OF LAKE LUCERNE CLUB CO. LAKE MILTON M.H.P. LAKE REMINGTON MOBLE HOM LAKE VIEW MOBILE HOME PK LAUREL SPRINGS WATER CO. LEADER'S MHP LEWIS MOBILE HOME PARK LOWELL, VILLAGE OF M & C MOBILE HOME PARK MACE'S MOBILE ESTATES MADISON CITY MHP MANN'S MOBILE HOME PARK MARBLEHEAD, VILLAGE OF MAYSVILLE REGIONAL WATER METZENBAUM RESIDENCE MIDDLEFIELD MOBILE HOME MILFORD CENTER, VILLAGE MILLBORNE MANOR MINOR MOBILE HOME PARK MT. PLEASANT MANOR NAPOLEON, CITY OF NASHVILLE, VILLAGE OF NELSONVILLE, CITY OF NEW CARLISLE, CITY OF NEW DOVER ESTATES NEW HOLLAND, VILLAGE OF NEW VIENNA, VILLAGE OF NEY, VILLAGE OF NORTH BALTIMORE, VLG OF NORTH LEWISBURG,VLG.OF OAKWOOD MHP OAKWOOD, VILLAGE OF ODRC-SOUTHEASTERN CORR.

Population 1100 9000 97 30 38 70 28 6400 36 100 350 75 120 925 140 29250 35 80 230 325 12643 44 3400 900 805 975 167 190 220 448 741 40 603 98 92 700 581 1600 4800 58 188 668 26 34 25 8884 210 10000 6049 206 870 1200 331 3229 1450 200 780 1829

Number of VOC Detections Since 1994 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 2 5 1 5 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1

Number of Chemicals Detected 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

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POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

City MARION OREGON LEBANON CLOVERDALE CANTON WOOSTER RICHFIELD PICKERINGTON PIKETON STOW NEW CARLISLE PORT CLINTON PUT-IN-BAY RAVENNA READING DUBLIN ZANESVILLE SARDINIA SCIO LUCASVILLE SIDNEY MINERVA SMITHFIELD COLUMBUS SPENCERVILLE AKRON WAYNESVILLE SPRINGFIELD KENTON NEW KNOXVILLE THORNVILLE TILTONSVILLE NEWARK LANCASTER VERMILION PERRYSBURG WALNUT CREEK MANSFIELD LEBANON WARREN WOOSTER WAYNESFIELD SARDINIA PENINSULA WEST FARMINGTON WEST LAFAYETTE SYLVANIA CLYDE BRYAN YELLOW SPRINGS ZALESKI

Water Supplier OH/AM MANSFIELD SYSTEM 1 OREGON, CITY OF OTTERBEIN-LEBANON RET CE PARADISE OAKS CENTER PARKSIDE APARTMENTS PEACH GROVE M.H.PARK PENINSULA WATER AND SEWE PICKERINGTON,CITY OF PIKETON, VILLAGE OF PINE MILL RIDGE #515 PLEASANT VALLEY EST. MHP PORT CLINTON, CITY OF PUT-IN-BAY, VILLAGE OF RAVENNA, CITY OF READING,CITY OF RIVERVIEW MANOR APTS. RIVERVIEW MANOR MHP &APT SARDINIA, VILLAGE OF SCIO, VILLAGE OF SCIOTO WATER, INC.-ROSE SIDNEY, CITY OF SKYLAND HILLS MHP SMITHFIELD, VILLAGE OF SOUTH BLOOMFIELD, VLG OF SPENCERVILLE, VILLAGE OF SPINNAKER BAY APARTMENTS SPRING VALLEY,VILLAGE OF SPRINGFIELD MEADOWS MHP TAYLOR CREEK APARTMENTS THE WAY INTERNATIONAL THORNVILLE, VILLAGE OF TILTONSVILLE, VILLAGE OF VALLEY MOBILE HOME PARK VALLEY VIEW NURSING HOME VERMILION, CITY OF VILLAGE GREEN MHP WALNUT CREEK WATER CO. WALNUT HILLS WATER #2 WARREN CO.-FRANKLIN/LEB WARREN, CITY OF WAYNE COUNTY CARE CENTER WAYNESFIELD, VILLAGE OF WAYNOKA REGIONAL WTR & S WAYSIDE FARM NURSING HOM WEST FARMINGTON, VLG. OF WEST LAFAYETTE, VILLAGE WEST UNITY ESTATES WINDING LAKE MHP WMS CO/HILLSIDE COUNTRY YELLOW SPRINGS, VLG. OF ZALESKI, VILLAGE OF

Population 1150 18334 1259 196 156 50 160 6483 1700 21 600 7100 5000 15000 12800 60 39 940 856 9186 18710 300 1100 400 2300 25 569 235 21 500 960 1517 88 38 11000 394 880 290 5031 70000 140 850 975 174 1100 3200 83 60 191 3973 450

Number of VOC Detections Since 1994 7 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 2 1 18 1 3 1 1 1

Number of Chemicals Detected 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Source: Ohio public water supply compliance testing database supplied to EWG by Ohio EPA.

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Appendix B
At least 50 industrial pollutants have been found in Ohios community tap water since 1994.
Number of communities with pollutant in their tap water, 1994 to present 59 54 51 39 26 23 23 20 20 19 19 19 18 17 17 15 13 12 8 7 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Pollutant TOTAL XYLENES METHYLCHLORIDE (CHLOROMETHANE) DICHLOROMETHANE TOLUENE NAPHTHALENE P-XYLENE M-XYLENE BROMOMETHANE 1,1,1-TRICHLOROETHANE CHLOROETHANE P-DICHLOROBENZENE O-XYLENE ETHYLBENZENE CIS-1,2-DICHLOROETHYLENE TRICHLOROETHYLENE TETRACHLOROETHYLENE CARBON TETRACHLORIDE BROMOCHLOROMETHANE 1,1-DICHLOROETHANE 1,2-DICHLOROETHANE TRICHLOROFLUOROMETHANE BROMOBENZENE DICHLORODIFLUOROMETHANE DIBROMOMETHANE 1,2,4-TRIMETHYLBENZENE 2,2-DICHLOROPROPANE M-DICHLOROBENZENE VINYL CHLORIDE 1,1-DICHLOROETHYLENE 1,2-DICHLOROPROPANE BENZENE STYRENE P-ISOPROPYLTOLUENE (P-CYMENE) 1,2,4-TRICHLOROBENZENE 1,3-DICHLOROPROPANE 1,3-DICHLOROPROPENE 1,3,5-TRIMETHYLBENZENE O-CHLOROTOLUENE N-PROPYLBENZENE HEXACHLOROBUTADIENE 1,1-DICHLOROPROPENE 1,2,3-TRICHLOROBENZENE N-BUTYLBENZENE TERT-BUTYLBENZENE P-CHLOROTOLUENE O-DICHLOROBENZENE 1,1,2-TRICHLOROETHANE 1,1,1,2-TETRACHLOROETHANE 1,1,2,2-TETRACHLOROETHANE MONOCHLOROBENZENE

Source: Ohio public water supply compliance testing database supplied to EWG by Ohio EPA.

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POLLUTER PRIVILEGE

Polluter Privilege

References

Edwards, Randall. 1999. EPA set for Ohio waste cleanup. Columbus Dispatch, May 7, 1999. Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) 1999. Online chemical information database at www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) 1998. Contaminated Public Water Supplies: Update 11/05/98. Draft Report. Division of Emergency and Remedial Response. Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) 1997. Master Site List database. From OEPA website at http://www.epa.gov/derr/ derrmain.html.

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